Power-excavator



R. C. KEOGAN.

POWER EXCAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1920.

Patented Sept, 28,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. C. KEOGAN.

POWER EXCAVATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1920.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. fiz'card f2 cyan ATTORNEY.

RICHARD C. KEOGAN, 0F S OUTH BEND, INDIANA.

POWER-EXCAVATOR.

Application filed May 13,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, RICHARD 0. Known, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Excavators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to power excavators and has for its object to provide a device of this character and more particularly of the rotatable platform type which carries the digging element and is adapted to be swung and rotated during an excavating operation, said platform being rockably mounted in a bearing and rockable in one direction by the Weight of the load and in the other direction by weight on the platform so that rotatable gears may be intermittently moved into engagement with an annular rack for swinging the platform in one direction under the weight of the excavating element and reversed when said load is released.

A further object is to provide an excavating machine having a base to which an annular rack is secured and a rotatable pivoted platform mounted in a bearing centrally of the rack and provided with rotatable gears, said gears being driven by an engine on the platform and being so positioned that when a load is taken up by an excavating element carried by the platform one of said gears will be moved into mesh with the annular rack so that the platform will be rotated, the engaging, gear being moved out of mesh with the annular rack and the other gear moved into mesh with the annular rack when the load is released by the excavating element so that the platform and excavating element will be returned to its initial position.

A further object is to provide an excavating machine of the pivoted platform type, wherein the sluing in one direction is controlled by the excavated load and the platform pivoted and controlled by weight in such a manner that when the excavated load is released the excavating element will be returned to its original osition.

With the above and ot ier objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of arts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings described and claimed, it being understood that chan es in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made Within the scope of what is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

1920. Serial No. 381,159.

claimed without of the invention.

In the drawings zlfigure l is a side elevation of the excavat ng machine showing the tilted platform ii its load carrying position and the digging element releasing its load so that the tilting platform will tilt under its overbalancing weight for meshing the gears that return the platform to its initial digging position.

1g. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the platform and base showing the annular rack in mesh with the gear which returns the platform to its initial position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the base showing the annular rack and platform socket.

eferring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the base of the machine, which base comprises a rectangular shaped frame and the platform 3. The base 1 is supported on wheels 4 so that the machine as a whole may be transported from place to place. Secured to the platform 3 is an annular rack 5, which annular rack comprises toothed portions 6 and the raceway portion Disposed centrally within the rack 5 is a socket 8, in which socket the semispherical member 9 is disposed. Semispherical member 9 is secured to the under face of the pivotal platform 10 by means of bolts ll. Extending through the platform 3 and through the socket 8 is a king pin 12, the upper end of which passes through a tapering aperture 13 in the semi-spherical member 9 and is provided with a headed end lit engaging a counter bore 15 in the upper ace of the semi-spherical member 9. The tapering aperture is in cross section elongated as shown in Fig. 3 so that the tilting of the platform will be limited to a longitudinal direction.

Mounted on the platform 10 is an engine 16, which engine normally maintains the platform in the tilted position shown in Fig. 2 and is tilted in the other direction when the digging element 17 is loaded, said tilting being caused by the weight of the material in the dig ing element 17. Engine 16 is provided wit a pulley 18, which pulley drives a pulley 19 carried by a shaft 20 through the medium of a belt 21, shaft 20 being in turn provided with a drive pulley 22 which frictionally engages a drive pulley 23. Drive pulley 23 is secured to a shaft 24 which is rotatably mounted in bearings 25 departing from the spirit of the platform 10. It will be seen that power from the engine 16 will cause shaft 21 to constantly rotate in one direction and consequently cause the gears 26 to rotate in the same direction, for instance in the direction of the arrows a, shown in Fig. 2. The gears 26 are bevel gears and by referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that when the load is released by the digging element 17 that the weight of the engine 16 will cause the forward gear 26 to move out of engagement with the annular rack 5 and the rear bevel gear 26 to move into engagement with the annular rack 5. As the gears 26 are diametrically disposed in relation to the annular rack that a reverse 0 eration or rotation will be imparted to the tilting platform 10, according to which bevel gear 26 is in mesh with the annular rack. It will be seen that as soon as the digging element 17 takes up a load that the forward bevel gear 26 will be moved into mesh with the rack and the rear bevel gear moved out of mesh with the rack. thereby causing the rotation of the pivoted tiltable platform 10 in the reverse direction, the sluing and reversing being entirely controlled by the weight of the material in the digging element and the overbalancing weight of the rear end of the platform when the weight is released from the digging element.

The platform 10 is provided with a conventional form of boom 27, to which boom is pivoted as at 28 a conventional form of lifting boom 29 which carries the digging'element 17, said digging element being controlled through a cable 30 which passes rearwardly over a pulley 31 and thence through a drum 32, mounted on the platform 10, said drum being controlled through any suitable mechanism. Boom 27 is of a conventional form and is provided with a pulley 33, over which the cable 34 passes, the lower end of the cable 34 being connected as at 35 to a yoke 36 carried by the lifting boom 29, said cable having its rear end passed over a pulley 37 and thence around a drum 38 carried by the tiltable platform 10. Drum 38 may be controlled in an suitable manner and if so desired a clutc mechanism 39 may be provided so that the drums may be rotated bymeans of the engine 16. The drum controlling mechanism and the specific boom and digging element structure may be of any conventional form.

Fromthe above it will be seen that an excavating machine is provided, which machine is simple in construction, and so constructed that the sluing will be controlled by the weight of the excavated material and the reversing will be controlled by the weight of the platform which tilts when the load is released from the digging element. Itwill also be seen that an excavating machine is provided, which reduces the mechanism to a minimum and one wherein the machine may be operated with a minimum amount of labor.

If during an excavating operation the operator should fail to release the load or pick up a load the tiltable platform will simply continue to rotate until the digging ele-, ment returns to proper position for digging or releasing its load.

During the meshing of either of the bevel gears 26 with the annular rack 5 the smooth portions 26 of the gears 26 engage the raceway 7 so that the weight of the gear teeth will not be upon each other and will not be in binding engagement. v

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is 1. An excavating machine comprising a base having a pivotally and tiltably mounted platform thereon, a weight suspending element carried by the platform for lifting a weight, and means interposed between the base and platform whereby when the weight is suspended by the weight engaging element the latform' will be tilted and slued to one si e and means whereby when the weight is released by the weight engaging element the platform will be moved in a reverse direction.

2. An excavating machine comprising a base having a pivotally and tiltably mounted platform thereon, a weight engaging element at one end of said platform, a weight at the other end of said platform which normally holds its end in down position and means inter osed between the base and platform where y as a weight is raised by the Weight engaging element, the platform will be caused to pivot in one direction and to pivot in the opposite direction when the weight is released.

3. An excavating machine comprising a base having a pivoted and tiltable platform thereon, a weight engaging element carried by one end of said platform, a weight carried at the other end for normally holding said end downwardly, an annular rack carried by the base, rotatable gears carried by the platform and disposed above the annular rack, said gears being so disposed that when a weight is raised by the weight engaging element, one of said gears will engage the rack and the other will be out of engagement with the rack and when the weight is released by the weight engaging element the other gear will engage the rack for rotating the platform in the opposite direction, and means for imparting rotation to the gears carried by the platform.

4. An excavating machine comprising a base having a pivotally and tiltably mounted platform thereon, an annular rack carried by the base, continuously rotatable gears carried by the platform, said gears rotating in the same direction, a weight engag ing and lifting element at the forward end of the platform, a Weight at the rear end of the platform for maintaining the rear platform carried gear in mesh With the rack When the Weight engaging element is free of Weight so that the platform will revolve in one direction, said Weight engaging element forming means whereby When a Weight is suspended the other platform carried gear Will be placed in engagement With the annular rack for reversing the pivotal movement of the platform.

5. The combination With a pivoted and tiltable platform of an excavating machine, of a sluing and reversing mechanism therefor, said sluing and reversing mechanism comprising an annular rack and continuously rotating gears carried by the platform, said platform being so balanced that one of the gears is normally in mesh with the rack so that the platform Will pivot in one direction and a Weight suspending device carried by the platform which When suspending a Weight causes the other gear to engage a rack and reverse the pivotal action of the platform.

6. The combination with a base and pivoted and tiltable platform of an excavating machine, of a sluing and reversing mechanism therefor, said mechanism comprising means whereby as a Weight is suspended from one end of the platform the platform Will move in one direction and When the Weight is released the platform Will move in the other direction.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature RICHARD O. KEOGAN. 

